The political and legal battles over President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan have hit their biggest roadblock yet with a temporary legal hold on the program, leaving borrowers in further limbo, The Hill reported. It has also opened up the potential for more opposition by Republicans, but the White House is vowing to fight back after a federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the program should be halted. Friday’s order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit stops the administration from disbursing relief while the court considers a challenge from six Republican-led states. A federal district judge had dismissed the case a day before, ruling that the six attorneys general representing the states did not have standing to sue because they did not demonstrate that the policy directly harms their states. Biden on Monday also bashed Republican backlash against the plan, calling it extreme and touting the policy as a way to help working Americans bounce back after the COVID-19 pandemic. The order marks a temporary victory for Republicans until a larger panel can weigh in, but it could lead to more actions against student loan forgiveness, said Robert Moran, a former senior policy adviser in the Education Department under former President George W. Bush.
